Stream-lined automotive vehicle



y 1935. H. w. KIZER 2,006,924

STREAM LINED AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Filed NOV. 24, 1.933 3 Sheets-Sheet l Flt-3.1.

H/S ATTORNEY July 2, 1935. H. w. KIZER STREAM LINED AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Fil'ed Nov. 24, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E E am W T Mm A N w W 0 4 H Y B 0 1 4 M whnPni hu M 3 2 2 2 2 WHMN. v m w M H/S ATTORN EY July 2, 1935. w. K|ZER 2,006,924

STREAM LINED .AUTOMOT IVE VEHICLE Filed Nov. 24, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H/S ATTORNEY I Patented July 2, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,006,924 v 4 STREAM-LINED auromo'nvu VEHICLE Howard W. Kizer, South Orange, N. J., assignor I to The Texas Company, New York, N. I a corporation of Delaware Application November 24, 1933, Serial No. 699,495

8 Claims, (Cl. 180-54).

This invention pertains to the construction of automotive road vehicles and particularly applies to the construction of stream-lined vehicles in which a self contained power unit is located at the rear of the chassis. I v

The object of the invention is to apply a modified stream-line to vehicles of short wheel base and more particularly to commercial vehicles such as heavy duty tank trucks. In order to secure the desired stream-line and at the same time maintain a reasonably short wheel base this invention has been applied to that type of road vehicle in which a self contained power unit is located to the rear of the rear axle.

, A feature of the invention is the means by which power is conveyed from the power unit to the rear wheels. A further feature relates to the means whereby an adequate supply of air is conducted to the radiator which inthis type of construction is not directly exposed;

. The invention also provides means whereby the control cab-may be supported at a level such that it can be readily fitted into the" generalstream' line of the vehicle. In the type ot'vehicle disclosed the pay load carrying portionof the chassis may also be dropped belowthe, axle level thusgiving a high load carrying compartment without in any way interfering with the, stream line or with the placing of the engine or control-cab.

This unique structural feature is made possible by the location of the power unit in the rear of the chassis and by'the use of remote control for controlling the engine and brakes from the control cab, thus obviating the necessity for a propeller shaft and tie-rods under the central portion 01' thechassis. I

In the application of the inventionlto a tank truck, structural changesin the usual type of liquid container have been provided locating-the filling apparatus within the outer shell of the tank where it does not interrupt the streameline.

Means have also been provided for connecting the tank compartments to the other body units and to the chassis.

i The features embodying tl'iisinvention thus make possible the construction of a' 'vehiclewith a short turning radius, having'a low center of gravity and inwhich the total load may be more 1 equally distributed between the two axlm an is customary. Sucha vehicle presents a pleasing appearance, has a minimum air resistance and is 1 easily kept clean; The low center of gravity in I combination with thefact that the pay load is -carried in the-middle of thevehicle makes for safety, which is of particular importance when tion.

'tothereby'limit my memento this specific application, Various other applications and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is therefore my intention that 15 the invention be limited onlyby the' scope of the appendedclaims. i I 1 In the accompanying drawings:' I 1, v

Figure 1 is a view of the vehicle in side elevation. Figure 2 is a plan view of the vehicle.

Figure 3 is a viewer thevehicle in frontelevation. Y I

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the chassis. V Figure 5 is a view of 'the chassis in side e1eva-' Figure 6'illustrates the g eneralarrangement of the radiator and'air deflector, in relationto the frame, the engine and'the load compartments.

Figure? is a lateralcrosssection of one of the 30 tank compartments on the lines If-l of'Figure 2. Figure 8 a longitudinal cross section of one of the 'tankcompartments on'thelines' 8-401 Figure2. Figure 9 is a viewof a modified form "of the 35 vehicle in side elevation-with a-portion of the shell cut away to show the arrangement of the individual compartments,

"Figure 10 is a plan view' of themodifloation-- illustrated'in Fisure '9. 40

Figure 11 is a lateral cross section on the lines ll--ll of Figure 10 andishows the method of attachingthe tankto the bolsters and the arrangement of' the side compartments and unloadingfacilities... 4- Figure 12 is a partialj' cross section of one of the. modified tank compartments on: the lines l2 ,l2 of Figurelq. t a

The same numerical designation for corre-' sponding parts is used, throughout, thespeciflcation and drawings, I I f By reason ofthe enormous loads which heavy duty tank trucks are required to carry, they are vusually cumbersome tofhandle and when the asis often the case, such trucks are subject to side-sway and are notoriously unsteady. Furthermore many of the ordinary tank trucks have an extremely long turning radius ,and they are consequently unwieldy for handling in city streets.

In order to obviate some of the objections just recited I have designed a truck suitable for heavy duty service which will have a comparatively short wheel base; To attain a short wheel base I have placed the engine in a compartment l (Figs. 1 and 9) to the rear of the rear axle 2 rather than in front of the control cab 9 and have placed the pay load compartments 3-1 approximately between the two axles and the control cab 9 in front of the forward axle 8, thus distributing the tptal load approximately equally between the two axles. Such an arrangement gives a balanced vehicle which is both practical and at the same time pleasing to the eye.

This arrangement alone, however, would not permit of the use of satisfactory stream-lines, since a control cab having the required head room stands too high when mounted on the customary chassis, to adapt itself well to streamlining. I have therefore not only dropped the frame l0 (Fig. 5) of the vehicle in a downwardly direction at point H in front of the rear axle 2 as is customary, but I have again offset it in a downwardly direction at point I2 in front of the.

front axle 8 to a level approximating or even below that of the axles. The forward, portion ly small in size and consequently, when placed I at the rear of the chassis, readily lend'themselves to the space afforded by a tapered hoodof modified fish-tail design which is customary in stream-lined vehicles.

' At both front and rear ends of the frame, ex-

- tensions l3, I (Fig. 5) may be attached to support the bumper connections |5l8 (Fig. 2) or the frame itself may be reduced in size and extended for this purpose. I y

The steering, gear shift, clutch and brakes in the vehicle disclosed are all operated by compressed air (by one of several well'lmown methods, the details of which do not form a part of this v'ention and are therefore not illustrated) and consequently there are no tie-rods or other rigid linkages passing from the control cab to the engine or from the control cab to the braking system associated with the rear wheels.

'Since the engine I! (Fig. 5) is in the rear of the vehicle and'since the usual linkages from the running gear to the control cab have been eliminated, the portion of the frame between the two axles may be offset in a downwardly direction, to any level compatible with adequate road clearance. While this factor is not of marked importance in so far as tank trucks are concerned, it is of value in connection with heavy duty trucks of other types since the floor of the pay load compartment may thus be placed much closer mitting side loading and the use of a stream-line body having doors which open to expose a relatively large portion of the load carrying space. For use in city traflic where side loading is of great advantage and where a short turning radius is desirable, such a vehicle having a loading floor at approximately curb level is of importance.

In the preferred form of the invention the load carrying containers or compartments 3-1, (Figs. 1 and 9) are formed by welding a series of double bulkheads such as bulkheads 2|, 22 and 23, 24 (Figs. 8 and 9) into a single metal tank 25 of suitable size, although a plurality of separate tanks may be used if desired.

In stream-lining a tank truck it is obviously desirable toremove the filling 'caps which normally protrude at the top of the individual containers. These have here been taken care of as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 12. In Figures '7 and 8 a false top formed by walls 28, 21 and floor 28 has been welded to the sides and ends of each of the load carrying containers or compartments 3| and a manhole 29 has been cut in floor 28. Directly above the manhole an aperture 30 at least equal to the manhole in size and preferably rectangular in shape has been cut in the outer surface or shell 25 of each container 3-1, thus giving access to a filling cap 3| placed in a cover 32 which is fastened over the manhole in the floor of the false top. The construction shown in Figures 9 and 12 is similar to that of Figures 7 and 8 with the exception that floor '28 is welded directly to the sides of the tank as well as to the walls 26, 21 of the false top. The cover and filling cap may be of standard design and the distance between the top of the tank and the floor of the false top will depend on the height of the unit used.

It should be noted in this connection that in view of the semi-inclosed position of the cover and the filling cap adequate air vents must be placed either in the manhole cover or in the fillin cap.

Two narrow strips of metal 33 (Figs. 1, 3, 'I and 8) approximately one inch high are welded along the longitudinal edges of the apertures to the shell 25 of the tank and a metal cat-walk 34, which may be either in the form of a grille-work as shown in Figure 2 or of sheet metal with a scored surface as shown in Figure 10, is supported on these strips which extend the full length of the tank. If preferred the cat-walk may be secured directly to the tank top (Fig. 12) or it may be set up on transverse blocks if that is found more desirable. The cat-walk is divided into sections so that there is a separate section such as 35, which is shown open in Figures 2 and 7, above each aperture or doors may be placed therein as shown in Figures 10 and 12. The sections above the apertures are hinged to one of the strips or to the fixed sections by a hinge running the full length of the section and a catch is provided on the opposite side to hold the hinged section firmly in position when shut. This arrangement gives ready access to the filling caps and manholes for loading, or cleaning and repairing the tanks. The intermediate or side sections 3 (Figs. 2 and 10) may be permanently fastened to-the longitudinal strips. A section of cat-walk similar to that overthe containersmaybe placed over the engine compartment for the sake of uniformity, as shown in Figures 2 and 10 and if desirable this may be hinged and utilized as a cover for an air vent in the top of the engine hood. The

cat-walk may, if desired, be slightly curved to con-- 384| (Figs. 1 and 2) which pass over the tank and are fastened at either-end to the customary bolsters or cradles on which it rests and which in turn are secured to the chassis. Similar straps 31 and 42 may be utilized to hold the control cap and engine compartments in spaced relation to the containers, one strap 42 being welded or otherwise secured to the adjoining peripheral edges of the control cab and the forward ta'nk compartment and another strap 31 being welded to the adjoining peripheral edges of the engine compartment and the rear tank compartment. This type of mounting not only gives the required rigidity but has the added advantage of uniformity and at the same times does not appreciably interrupt the stream-line of the body.

The tank may, however, be mounted in such a manner that no straps are visible from the exterior of the vehicle. This preferred method of mounting is illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. In this instance the tank may be formed of two units 25 and 64 (Fig. 11) which are so welded together at 65 that the upper section of the tank overlaps the lower section and extends beyond the joining weld. A series of bars 66 are then secured to the extension of the upper section and bolts6l passed on the opposite side of the body and may be ut1- lized for transporting package goods or oil cans.

thru them and secured to the bolsters or cradles 68 supporting the tank. In this instance the mounting units are completely hidden from view by the apron 45 which may be formed integral with the upper portion of the tank or welded or otherwise secured thereto. A similar mounting may of course be used for the usual one-piece cylindrical tank in which case the apron 45 is welded to the tank shell 25 at, say, 65 and the bars 66 are then secured to the apron and bolted to the bolsters as previously described.

If instead of a single tank a plurality of indi. vidual containers are used, they may be mounted on the frame in such a manner that they are is maintained by metal straps 31-42 (Figs. 1 and 2) secured by welding or other means, to the peripheral edges of the containers and to the control cab and engine hood. The tank units are thus held in mutually spaced relation from each other and from the control cab and the engine hood.

I In order to take care of any liquids which may be spilled or rain water which may collect in the various'compartments formed by the false heads and the outer shell 25 (Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 12) of the tank truck, apertures 43 are provided in the ends of these compartments immediately from asump in the middle of the compartment or container bottoms to an outlet box 13 mounted at the side of the vehicle has been modified by cutting away a portion of the shell of each tank or compartment, preferably of rectangular area and extending from the lowest portion of the tank 69 to a point Illsomewhat below the widest portion of the tank, and. welding into this opening an extension II to the tank, of the general design illustrated in Figure 11. This extension carries the liquid contents of the tank into the outlet compartment from which they are passed by gravity to the outlet pipes thru an opening in the sump I2 which is below the level of the lowest portion of the tank proper. The connections between the tanks and the outlet pipes are thus housed in the outlet box and the whole outlet system is therefore readily available for inspection or repair.

I have followed common practice in carrying the outlet pipes through a common meter to a hose outlet and in providing individual valves so that the contents of any particular tank may be passed to the common outlet and these features have therefore not been illustrated. The

outlet box 13 is normally hidden by a flat apron 45 secured to and extending the length of the containers and from their widest portion to a point slightly below the axle level, as illustrated in Figures 1, 9 and 11. Doors 46, .41 are provided in this apron giving access to the valves It may also be noted as an advantage of this invention, that in view of the fact that the controls are all pneumatically operated the driver's position in the control cab 9 may be arranged in any manner desired. That is, the controls may be placed in the direct center of the cab or at either side. The stream-line design used for the control cab adapts itself readily to the installation of a large number of windows 48 (Figs. l-, 2, 3, 9 and I0) surrounding practically the entire front and sides of, the cab, thus giving the driver an unusually Wide range of vision.

In the particular embodiment of the invention here disclosed, an internal combustion engine I!) is illustrated, but other types, such as the gaselectric power units, may also be readily adapted to such use.

As is shown in Figure 4 the longitudinal frame members 49 may be tapered or flared inward to the rear of the rear axle as at points 50 and 5|, to conform to the body design, and the engine 19 supported between them on cross members such as 52 and 53, or, if preferred, it may be supported directly from the longitudinal members themselves as at 54 and 55. It will be noted from Figure 5,v that the portion of the frame to the rear of the rear axle is maintained at its usual height.

In previous instances where the engine has been placed at the rear of the chassis it has free quently been mounted with the radiator to the a specially designed frame has been utilized,

which placed the engine crank shaft on a level with the rear axle and in the these' cases a'direct [drive was utilized. In, my disclosure the engine is placed in the normal position, that is with the radiator 56 in front and the transmission 51 in the rear.

At the rear of the transmission I have suspended a train of gears 58 housed in a casing formed integral with that of the transmission. The-top gear in this train is operated directly from the transmission. The lowest gear in the train in turn operates through a universal joint 59 and a short drive shaft 60, located underneath the engine, to drive the axle 2 through thecustomary differential gears to operate the rear wheels. In the normal loaded condition of the vehicle, this drive shaft 60 is approximately parallel of the frame and on a level with the rear axle.

While'the drive is here shown as appliedto the rear wheels it may also be utilized in a similar manner to drive the front wheels of a vehicle where the engine is placed either above or forward of the front axle.

In the arrangement of the radiator 56 (Fig: 6) here disclosed it is, of course, directly back of the load carrying compartment 3, and in this position it would not receive a sufficient flow of air to permit it to properly perform its cooling duties. In order toassure the radiator of an adequate supply of air the portion of the tank or body immediately in-front of the radiator has been indented or cut away in the general shape of a wedge, the narrow edge of which is parallel to the top of the radiator and the base of which is on a level with the frame, that is, a portion of the rear wall 6| of the tank or rear load compartment 3 has been sloped away from the radiator in a downwardly direction. Thus, any air entering this space will bedirected against the radiator as indicated by the arrows in Figure 6. Inthe same way the load compartment may be sloped in such a manner that with the aid of entrance louvers air can be drawn from either or both sides of the vehicles or from the top.

In order to assure adequate air being forced into this space it may be necessary to utilize an. apron 52 of metal or other suitable material. This apron should have a forward slope or curve and may be suspended from the frame or radiator shell, by'means of a bracket 63 or otherwise, immediately under the front edge of the radiator in such a position that it willscoop air from under 'the vehicle when the vehicle is in motion and with the aid of the sloping wall SI of the tank or rear load compartment (will force the air to the radiator.

In order to adequately care for the cooling requirements of the motor the radiator used may be of a somewhat larger size than would be required if it were placed infront of the vehicle.

Exit louvers 15 (Figs. 9 and 10) placed in the hood of the engine compartment aid materially in the circulation of the air. As previously pointed out, an opening may also be cut in the hood of the engine compartment under the cat-walk extension II and the latter may be hinged at its upper end, as at 16, and raised and locked in an open position bymeans of locking device 11, thus materially aiding in the cooling of the engine.

In the case of a vehicle having a drop frame 20, as illustrated by broken lines in Figure 5, this method of passing air to the radiator may not, be adequate, since the body is closer to the ground and in this case it may be necessary either to place louvers at the topor sides of the vehicle to pass air to the radiator or the radiator'may be so placed in one of the walls of the hood that it is exposed to the aim a method which has frequently been used heretofore.

The engine compartment illustrated is of such a size that a man can stand upright in it and can thus work on the engine and transmission units with a minimum of effort. The engine may also be readily taken out for repair or replacement by removing the engine hood, or if desired the engine, transmission and rear axle assembly may be quickly removed as a unit by jacking up the rear end of the frame, removing frame member 53 and disconnecting the shackles holding the rear springs and the bolts securing the engine to the frame. This is of particular advan- 1. An automotive road vehicle comprising in 1 combination a chassis, a control cab mounted on the front of the chassis, an internal combustion engine mounted on the rear of said chassis, a cooling radiator mounted on the chassis forward of the engine, a load carrying compartment mounted on said chassis between the control cab and the radiator in which that portion of the compartment immediately opposite the radiator is sloped away from the radiator in a downwardly direction, and a forwardly tilted apron suspended from the chassis immediately below the radiator to deflect air to the radiator.

2. An automotive road vehicle comprising in combination front and rearaxles with wheels thereon, a pair of longitudinal frame members 1 supported by the axles, said frame members being tapered inward at the rear of the rear axle and. being individually offset in a downward direction in-front of each axle, a plurality of cross-frame members adapted to maintain the longitudinal members in mutually spaced relation, an internal combustion engine mounted on certain of said frame members, to the rear of the rear axle, a transmission mechanism mounted integral with and to the rear of the engine, a train of gears suspended from the transmission casing and operated from the transmission, a drive shaft operatively connecting the gear train and the rear axle, said drive shaft being normally suspended in a position substantially parallel to said frame, a cooling radiator mounted in front of said engine, and a forwardly tilted apron suspended from said frame immediately below said radiator to deflect air to the radiator.

3. An automotive road vehicle comprising in combination a front axle and a rear axle both supported on wheels, a' frame supported by said axles said frame being oifset in a downward direction in front of the front axle, a control cab mounted in part on the lowest portion of the frame, a power unit mounted to the rear'of the rear axle on the highest portion of the frame, and a load carrying compartment mounted on the frame between the control cab and the power unit.

4. An automotive vehicle comprising in combination front and rear axles with wheels thereon, a frame supported by the axles and tapered inward at the rear of the rear axle, a power unit mounted on said frame to the rear of the rear axle, an engine hood supported by said frame and so spaced from either side of the engine as to-permit a mechanic to stand between the hood and the engine,.an opening in the top of said hood for'admitting light and air and a cover for said opening.

5. An automotive road vehicle, comprising in combination a front axle and a rear axle both supported on wheels, a frame supported by said axles, said frame being offset in a downwardly direction in front of the front axle, a control cab mounted in part on the lowest portion of the frame, a power unit mounted to the rear of the rear axle on the highest portion of the frame, a train of gears suspended-to the rear of and operated from the power unit, means for operatively connecting said gear train and the rear axle, and

a load carrying compartment mounted on the frame between the control cab and the power unit.

6. An automotive road vehicle comprising in combination a chassis, a control cab mounted 'on the front of the chassis, an internal combustion engine mounted on the rear of said chassis; a cooling radiator mounted on the chassis forward of the engine, a load carrying compartment so shaped as to admit air to the radiator and mounted on said chassis between the control cab and the radiator.

7. An automotive road vehicle comprising in combination a chassis, a control cab mounted on the front'of the chassis, an internal combustion engine mounted on the chassis to the rear of the rear axle, a train of gears suspended to the rear of and operated from the engine, means for operatively connecting said gear train and therear axle, a cooling radiator mounted on the chassis forward of the engine, a load carrying compartment so shaped as to admit air to the radiator and mounted on said chassis between'the control cab and the radiator and an apron adapted to defiect'air to the radiator. I

8. An automotive vehicle comprising in come bin'a'tionfront and rear axles with wheels thereon, a frame comprising longitudinal and crossframe members supported by the axles, a power unit mounted on said frame to the rear of the rear axle, an engine hood supported by said frame and so spacedfrom the frame as to permit a mechanic to stand between the sides of the hood and the nearest longitudinal frame member and an'opening in the top of, said hood for admitting light and air and a cover for said opening. 

